


Trial of Fire

by kitkat75



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Courtroom Drama, Dany is a hooker with a heart of gold, Drug Use, F/M, Jon is her lawyer, Smut, Viserys is an abusive asshole then dies, also angst, including one (1) description of Dany's prostitution, it's a slow burn, will add more tags as I go and figure out what the frack this thing is lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2019-09-12 15:11:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16875153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkat75/pseuds/kitkat75
Summary: When Daenerys Targaryen is wrongly charged with murder of her abusive brother, Jon Snow is assigned to be her public defender.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic woohoo! This is more of a prologue. Oh and Dany might seem a bit OOC compared to how she is now, but that's cuz she's based more her early season 1 self (at first). I wasn't 100% sure how I should tag this, so please let me know if you have any suggestions!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter with all the trigger warnings (abuse, drug use, prostitution, etc.) so just beware and if it's something you really can't stomach, skip to chapter 2.

 

Dany lay flat on her back. It was the position he liked best. The stench of alcohol perfumed her neck as he left lethargic kisses across it. At least he made attempts to pleasure her, as half-hearted as they well, instead of the others who simply brashly took what they wanted, what they paid for. And at least he was quick. Dany learned early on in her career that the older men couldn’t keep it up long and Jorah Mormont was the oldest of her regular clients.

 

“I love you.” His voice was low and inarticulate, but Dany recognized the words. She’d heard them enough from him. The first time she was foolish enough to think he actually meant it and begged for him to take her away. Away from Viserys, away from the flea ridden motel they called “home”, away from it all. He had stumbled over his words, trying to explain how his marriage made that impossible.

 

“I love you Dany.” he repeated, with a bit more intensity. _No you don’t._ Dany wanted to whisper back but she knew she couldn’t. Instead she squeezed her eyes shut. Her body had become numb to the physical side of her profession, but her heart was still raw to the false emotion Jorah and others like him offered.

 

* * *

 

“This the place?” her Uber Driver asked. The silver Toyota came to a halt.

 

Dany looked out the window and stare a familiar sign with pink neon tubing forming the letters “The Aurora Motel” accompanied by the poorly lit marquee board below declaring “Vacancy”. Behind it, the parking lot was a black, empty pool save for the cars clustered near the main office; everyone knew that was the best place to park since thieves wouldn’t risk it with the manager so near by. And beyond that, freckles of lit windows dotted the two story building that was the motel, that was “home”.

 

“Yep.” Dany opened her clutch. Her fingers briefly brushed against the hundreds Jorah had given her earlier that night, but she pushed past them to reach a twenty which she handed over to the driver. “Thanks.”

 

The night was chilly, especially for one wearing a short cut blue leopard mini dress. Dany wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep in whatever warmth she could. Her high heels clicked and clacked as she crossed the white pavement sidewalk, then black asphalt parking lot, and finally up the metal staircase until she was standing in front of Room #34. The curtains were drawn, but the light creeping through the bottom make Dany’s heart quicken and her tongue go dry. Viserys was home.

 

She had hoped that wouldn’t be the case, or that he’d be passed out of the couch like so many nights before she’d lost count. Dany stood in silence for a moment, frozen and weighing her options.

 

_The Velvet Lounge is open until two, I could kill some time there and maybe when I come back he won’t…_

 

Dany didn’t finish her thought as the door in front of her swung open. She jumped back just in time to avoid being hit in the face.

 

“Dany!” a surprised and disheveled man exclaimed. There was almost a childish delight in his voice, but that turned to anger quick. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

 

He pinched her arm, dragging her petite body closer to his. She could see the fresh needle marks on arm due to his rolled up sleeve.

 

“Viserys you said you wouldn’t…” Dany began, still eyeing the needle marks.

 

“I don’t need a lecture from you, little whore!” he spat. “Do you want to wake the dragon?”

 

Dany was silent. Silence was the only rebellion she could afford.

 

His eyes shifted. “Get inside. Now.” He shoved her, hard. Dany stumbled before catching herself. She heard the door close behind them.

 

“You’re supposed to be out fucking your friend Jorah!” Viserys erupted again. “How do you think our bills get paid?” he fumed, pacing back and forth.

 

 _I know how our bills get paid, I’m the one fighting to keep us off the streets_! Dany wanted to to shout. But she didn’t.

 

“We- he finished earlier.” She tried to keep her tone as even and normal as she could.

 

_The more I raise my voice, the more he raises his voice. And the more he raises his voice…_

 

“The money.” he held his palm out. Dany noticed the tremor in his hand. In addition to the drugs, he’d almost certainly been drinking as well. She obliged, handing him the bills.

 

“Three hundred?” he stared at it in disbelief, before bawling it in his fists. “You stupid bitch! Our rent is due tomorrow, we needed eight hundred dollars!”

 

“Eight hundred?” Dany blurted. The words fell from her mouth before she could stop herself.

 

“Yes!” he hissed. “Eight hundred!”

 

They had already been late on the rent twice, and the manager was losing patience. The threat of eviction loomed over them, so that morning, before Viserys woke up, Dany had checked the rent envelope they kept pinned on the refrigerator door. She had counted the bills with great care, knowing their importance. The total had come up to just 150 dollars short.

 

 _Viserys blew through over five hundred dollars while I was out_ , Dany realized with horror. She felt anger rising inside her.

 

“What am I supposed to do with three!” Viserys continued his rant.

 

 _Waste it on booze and drugs like every other dollar I’ve given you?_ The anger was stoking itself in her belly. But Dany swallowed it. She’d do anything to stop the situation from escalating.

 

“Are you hiding more from me? Trying to be clever? Thought you could fool me? You stupid slut...” he yanked the clutch from her hands and began rifling through it. The contents fell to the floor as Viserys turned the bag inside out.

 

“No! I swear! Viserys, I tried but that’s the highest he was willing to go. He said- he said tomorrow he could take more out of the ATM.” Dany’s voice cracked, her thoughts betraying her. Viserys threw the clutch aside.

 

“That’s not good enough!” he yelled hotly, his eyes ablaze. Dany’s heart throbbed. A jolt of anxiety coursed through her body. She never saw him raise his hand but she knew it was coming from experience.

 

The slap echoed in her mind and burned on her cheek.

 

But there was no time to react. Viserys had gripped her wrist and was pulling her back towards the door. A blast of night air enveloped her body as the door opened and Viserys pushed her out.

 

“Don’t come back without the other five hundred.” he threatened. Looking into his eyes, Dany knew he meant it. The door slammed shut before she could answer. Not that she would’ve answered. She was frozen in place.

  
_He’s going to kill me_ , she thought for the first time. _If I don’t do this I’m dead._

* * *

 

Dany sat on a barstool. A glass of cheap Scotch was in one hand, the other lay on the bar counter where her fingers tapped nervously. It was a little past 1:30. Dany never took random clients off the streets. It was too dangerous. But Viserys’ ultimatum had send her into a panicked hysteria.

Her first thought was to try calling her regulars. But she hadn’t made in halfway down the stairs of the Aurora Motel before she remembered Viserys grabbing her clutch and strewing the contents everywhere, including her cheap burner cell phone. She didn’t dare go back for it.

_The Velvet Lounge_ was only a block away from the motel. Like the motel, it was rather seedy and the place was mostly empty. There was one guy who was promising, and frankly not bad looking either. He had sauntered over shortly after Dany arrived and bought her a drink. But when Dany whispered her proposition into his ear, he bolted. Although not before calling her a “teasing bitch”.

That was over half an hour ago. She still hadn’t finished the Scotch.

_What am I going to do? What am I going to do?_ Drummed over and over again in her head to a steady beat.

_He hadn’t always been cruel._

Dany still remembered their time in Braavos, though it seemed like another lifetime entirely compared to now. She remembered how it would get so hot in the summers than Viserys and Dany would climb into the fountain in the garden and splash around for hours. And then they’d slurp down freshly squeezed lemonade made of fruit they had picked from the lemon tree in front of their house. _The house with the red door…_ she thought nostalgically, before snapping back to her reality.

_I have no friends, I have no family, I only have Viserys._

Dany thought she saw gleams, tiny hints, of the old Viserys from time to time.

_If not for the drugs… If not for the alcohol…_ she found herself thinking. But then she remembered the first time he asked her to sell herself. It was long before he’d touched a bottle or a needle. The thought made tears well in her eyes, though she successfully fought the urge to cry.

2 am rolled in without fanfare. The bartender began lightly nudging the three other remaining patrons out the door. Dany downed her Scotch. It burned down her throat as she walked towards the door, but not as much as the growing pit burned in her stomach.

 

The streets were empty. The light at the nearby intersection glowed a gentle green in the night. Dany sighed, her breath fogged around her. It was now even colder than before. An involuntary shiver ran up her spine.

_What am I going to do?_ She asked herself again, but to her question she still had no answer. She couldn’t survive the night on the streets, not without developing hypothermia at least.

Dany turned her head. The neon sign of the Aurora Motel beckoned in the near distance. Dany swallowed. With no money, no phone, no hope, going back was only card she could play. The idea of throwing herself at Viserys’ feet and begging for an apology he had no right to be receiving made her feel ill, but it was all that could be done.

 

Her stomach was in knots. Her palms were clammy. She had spent the entire walk trying to write and rehearse the perfect thing to say in her head. And yet, when she climbed those final steps, everything evaporated away. Fear begin to tighten its noose around her neck.

She glanced at the window. The curtains were still drawn shut, but no light was shining through the crevasses. Viserys had almost certainly gone to bed. That only made Dany’s task more daunting. She had no key and didn’t fancy waking Viserys.

_Unless maybe he forget to lock the door?_ Dany hoped, reaching for the door knob. She slowly turned the knob, fully expecting her attempts to be futile.

_Click!_

To her surprise and delight, the door unlocked. She slipped in quietly, closing the door behind her. Dany took a few steps before collapsing with a thud.

_What was that?_ Clearly she had tripped over something. _Was it my clutch?_

Dany turned around and stretched out her arm, her hand patting the floor hoping to find the offending object. Her fingertips felt the fuzz of the carpet turn to cool sticky goo.

_WHAT?_ Her mind reeled. A new queasy feeling bubbled forth. She lifted herself from the floor and immediately lurched for the nearest lightswitch. When the light flooded the room, she screamed.

Her brother, Viserys, was lying sprawled on the carpet. There was a knife sticking out of his midsection, blood seeping out to form a pool. His purple eyes were fixed on the ceiling. They were cold and dead, like the rest of him.

 

Dany wasn’t sure what happened next. Somehow the police had arrived. At first only one or two. Then more squad cars showed up as well as an ambulance and a van from the coroner's office. Patrons of the motel were also getting curious. Several had wondered out of their rooms and now stood in the parking lot in their robes and hair curlers exchanging growing murmurs over what had happened.

A paramedic had guided Dany down to an ambulance where a bright orange blanket was draped over her shoulders.

“What’s this?” Dany objected in a daze.

“Shock blanket. It’ll help with the shock, dear.” the paramedic assured.

So Dany sat on the edge of the ambulance with her shock blanket. Although it wasn’t shock she was feeling. After all she’d been subjected to on Viserys’ behalf, she could not say she was surprised to learn that someone had killed him.

There was a flood of warm, fuzzy relief, knowing she’d never need to walk on eggshells to avoid ‘waking the dragon’. But now that high was slipping away and a new feeling was taking over. She felt lost. Without purpose.

_I have no friends, I have no family, now I have no Viserys._

Viserys was cruel, but familiar. She had never been apart from him for any large period of time. He had been her shadow, or perhaps she had been his.

_Who am I without him? What will I do?_ She wondered.

A voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Miss Targaryen?” Dany looked up to see a police officer. “Sorry to bother you, Miss, but it’s best if we interview witnesses as soon as possible, while the events are still fresh in their minds. We’d like you to come down to the station with us and answer some questions.” he explained.

“Of course.” Dany nodded, her decision made.

She stood, the shock blanket slipping off her shoulders.

_I am Daenerys Targaryen. I will not look back. I will go forward._

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After months of nothing I'm back with more! lol I'm terrible at this. Anyway, the show returning has reignited my want to write fanfic and so I present the next chapter! Please comment if you can! Only edited by me so sorry for mistakes

“This way Miss.” motioned a tall, muscular, police officer not much older than Dany herself. The nameplate on his uniform read 'Waters'. He had accompanied her through the police station after a squad car had dropped her off.

 

Officer Waters opened a door to reveal a sparsely decorated room. There was a table in the center and two folding chairs on either side. A mirror covered one wall while the others were a cool grey. Dany spotted a camera in the upper right corner and a small red light, no doubt signalling its recording. She suddenly felt a lot less at ease that she did a moment ago.

 

“Have a seat please.” Officer Waters motioned once more. “Detective Stannis Baratheon will be in in a moment, he’s in charge of your brother’s case. Let us know if you need anything.” he added before leaving the room.

 

Left alone, Dany shifted in her seat. Given her position, she couldn’t help but stare into the mirror opposite of her. It was the first time she’d caught her appearance since she first left the Aurora Motel around sunset. Her delicate silver curls had deflated into limp coils. She was in need of a fresh coat of lipstick; the color of her lips had begun to fade from a once vibrant lusty red. And her styled smoky eye had melted into a sloppy mess. Altogether she looked waif-ish, vulnerable. But her natural beauty shown through.

 

 _Could they know about...? No, how could they? And prostitution is only a misdemeanor anyway, right? Nothing to worry about._ Dany tried to reassure herself. Somehow, she had never been arrested in the past and this was her first time at a police station.

 

Dany reached for the glass of water the police had brought her when she first sat down. She took eager gulp after gulp until the glass was half-empty. The water was a welcomed refreshment. She placed it back on the table, her cheap red lipstick leaving a ruby stain behind.

 

The door opened again and in walked a middle-aged man. He had short dark hair, deep blue eyes, and grim expression on his face. He wasn’t in uniform, instead dressed plainly in a simple suit with a black tie. 

 

“Detective Baratheon?” Dany hesitated a guess.

 

“The very one.” he replied flatly, setting down a case file and mug of black coffee on the table before taking the seat across of Dany. “I’m sorry to bother you at such an hour, but it’s important we talk to a witness while the event is still fresh in there mind.”

 

Dany nodded understandingly.

 

“When was the last time you saw Viserys alive?” 

 

Snippets of the memory flashed across her mind. The shouting. The money. The slap. The fiery eyes. The ultimatum. None of it she wanted to tell this stranger, and none of it relevant to the murder.

 

“Earlier that night.” Dany stated.

 

“Time?” Like his appearance, there was no style or flare to Detective Baratheon's questions, only blunt functionality.

 

“Around one, probably.” Dany gave an honest guess.

 

“How did he seem?”

 

Dany’s words were caught in her throat. Her mouth speechless.

 

 _Like a madman,_ she thought.

 

But how could she say such a thing? She’d never spoken a word about Viserys’ true nature to anyone. She had thought it was fear of Viserys that kept her quiet. But now Viserys was dead. There was nothing to fear, however the words were still stuck.

 

 _Is it shame?_ Dany wondered. _Or fear of a different kind? Fear my words won’t be believed? Or fear my words will be taken the wrong way?_ But Dany’s thoughts were cut short.

 

“We know you argued with the deceased. We have witnesses who heard shouting.” Detective Baratheon pushed.

 

Dany swallowed nervously. She should have expected as much. She, and all the other patrons, knew the walls at the Aurora Motel were thin. Alliser Thorne, who lived below them, would bang on his ceiling with a broom at least twice a week. And the sounds coming through the wall whenever Ros brought her boyfriend by were enough to make Dany blush, even after all she’d been through. The other motel residents must have heard the screaming insults Viserys would hurl at her, but they were too much of the type to keep tight-lipped rather than intervene under normal circumstances. However, a police investigation snooping around was an entirely different matter. There was little doubt in her mind that they would have gleefully pointed the finger towards Dany to get the police to leave.

 

“Yes, we argued about the rent money.” Dany admitted, not offering any further details.

 

She was beginning to realize the interview was transforming into an interrogation and she didn’t know how to stop it as the questions kept coming.

 

 _The truth would incriminate me_ , she thought. _Viserys’ abuse gives me a motive for his murder._ The last thing she wanted were charges brought against her.

 

 _Or am I a suspect already? No, I can’t be…_ She denied, but the impending feeling of dread was growing. Her recently found confidence was already starting to wane. Dany begged herself to remain strong.

 

 _I am Daenerys Targaryen. I will not look back. I will go forward._ She assured herself once more.

 

But the plain grey walls of the room began to shrink around her and the unblinking red glare from the camera positioned in the top right corner of the room was unnerving. She found it hard to focus. Her mouth was as dry as a desert. Dany looked for the glass of water but it was gone.

 

Office Waters had entered the room again, but Dany couldn't say how long he'd been there. She only noticed his presence when he leaned into Detective Baratheon’s ear and the two exchanged hushed whispers. The officer place a file on the table and the detective nodded. Then Dany watched Officer Waters slipped out of the room as quietly as he had appeared.

 

The atmosphere changed from slightly hostile to relaxed. The questions stopped. Detective Baratheon reclined in his seat, the chair swiveling slightly. A moment of silence hung over the room which only added to Dany’s uneasiness.

 

“What’s in the folder?” Dany asked boldly. Detective Baratheon let the question hang on her lips as he stood up.

 

“Daenerys Targaryen, I am putting you under arrest for the murder of Viserys Targaryen. You have the right to-”

 

“Wait, what?” Dany stood up. Her world was spinning as her nightmare was confirmed. She placed her hands on the table to anchor herself, but Officer Waters was suddenly back in the room placing her hands behind her back. She felt the cold metal of handcuffs on her wrists.

 

“No! No, you can’t!” Dany objected, flummoxed. “I didn’t- I didn’t kill Viserys!”

 

These protests were lost on Detective Baratheon, who continued his spiel unmoved.

 

“You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be assigned to you by the court. You have-”

 

“An attorney!” Dany’s eyes lit up. “I want an attorney!” She shouted as Office Waters escorted out of the room and towards central booking.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of writing the next chapter from Jon's pov but at the same time I don't want to leave Dany's pov because I love writing for her. Ah, decisions decisions. Either way, I guarantee the next chapter won't have such a long hiatus so please stick around if you like it so far!


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everyone. I’m sorry this isn’t a real chapter but I feel like I need to get this off my chest. 

 

I can’t ship Jonerys anymore. Jon murdered Dany. He stabbed her. While embracing and kissing her. It’s disgusting. Dany was literally murdered by the one person left she truly loved and trusted. My heart is breaking for her. I’d love the write this off as D&D making another stupid writing decision, but seeing as how it shapes the other characters’ endings, I think this was too big and impactful not to have come from GRRM. 

 

So yeah, I don’t want Dany anywhere near Jon now. I can’t ship her with her fucking murderer. At this point, I’m either dropping this fic entirely and deleting it or switching Dany’s love interest to someone else. Maybe Daario. He was kinda a fuckboi, but at least he treated Dany like the queen she is. I don’t know. 

 

Thank you for reading this. I’m really grateful for the comments, kudos, and bookmarks, but I just can’t continue this fic in the way I originally envisioned it. I’m so sorry.


End file.
